Last night Sunday 15 July I got a treat, which I'm so glad I could share with my mum, wife & eldest daughter - tickets to the acclaimed 'P.Ramlee The Musical' (PRM) at KL's Istana Budaya National Theatre. Now that's a spectacular production. The innovative sets and rivetting storyline were worth all four hours. Thanks to my pal Boudeng / Enfiniti Productions and Celcom (glad corporations like this are supporting the Arts & Heritage - I'll support these entities in return...) or I wouldn't have had the chance to see PRM. Anyway, I'm glad to also have been involved in work with Enfiniti Productions especially as Heritage and Development Consultant on the well-awaited Malaysian Cultural Village project in progress. That's something that KL needs badly!Back to PRM. I like to think I had a small role to play in its beginning as well. While the crew were developing the play, I had written an illustrated article about P.Ramlee in 'The Hilt' magazine, which I gave to Adlin Aman Ramlee and Pat Ibrahim after one meeting we had at Ten-On-Ten. They were poring over it, so hopefully it helped them with a weeny bit of shaping their award-winning play...! My original article is below.A Man for all Seasons... and Talents
Reminiscing the life and times of the Malay World's late P. Ramlee
by Nadge Irving
"That man really hit the nail on the head, and with a sharp blow too", guffawed the elderly but elegant Chinese lady.
"Which man, and what head?" quizzed the young Caucasian expat woman as they sat at the bar in Kuala Lumpur's partiest road.
"Why, the man whose name graces this street, of course", the elder lady motions to the neon-strewn Jalan P. Ramlee, and its array of restaurants, bars, night clubs, karaoke parlours and live band entertainment joints, with the now globally famous Petronas Twin Towers anchoring one end.
The road that bears the name of P. Ramlee is, strangely, both aptly yet ironically named. Apt because P. Ramlee himself was an entertainer, par excellence – indeed one so versatile as a prolific actor, composer, singer, live comedian, director and film-maker - that everyone who knows his work still says that it has been impossible to find anyone like him since his death 34 years ago, on 29 May 1973 of heart attack at a still young 44 years.
Yet ironic because at the same time few of his fans would associate him with a boozy and chic flesh-exposed nightlife strip. Indeed, for some the association is near sacrilegious as although P. Ramlee was adored by millions of fans in at least three countries (Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia) - including women who literally threw themselves at him with at least one having tried to break down his hotel room door - he lived a surprisingly clean life of no womanizing or drinking. A downright simple and exemplary modus, considering his fame and celebrity status.
True he was married thrice, with one wife being the consort of a Sultan no less, who left a privileged palace life to seek him, but they were all in succession and he never appeared to be in a hurry for another woman after each divorce. The public saw him as a perfectly matched couple with third wife Saloma, the beautifully-voiced diva who remained a popular singer until she died in 1983, with whom P.Ramlee remained faithful till his earlier death.
Precious few men can claim to be so chaste.
Especially if they had at least 65 films under their belt as actor or director or both, done 360 songs to fill all those films and of others’, numerous capacity audience shows and umpteen awards, especially international ones including the world's first ever "The Most Versatile Talent" award which seemed to be created specially for him at the Asia Film Festival, Tokyo in 1963, just after Malaysia's formation. Also most of his oeuvres were not commercial flops, but in fact popular hits in the days when many films had to be graced with songs, which he did all himself.
Despite just a summary above, his achievements are nothing short of outstanding. No wonder that he is the first to be posthumously awarded a most deserved 'Tan Sri' title.
Maybe it was in his upbringing, which was straightforward if a little underprivileged. Born Teuku Zakaria in Penang on the morning of the Muslim post-Ramadhan fasting month celebration Aidil Fitri on 22 March 1929, P. Ramlee’s mother was Che Mah Hussin of Penang and his father was Teuku Nyak Puteh from Aceh, Sumatra island in what is now Indonesia. Teuku is a hereditary title of Acehnese royalty, similar to the Malay Tengku. Yet his father was a humble sailor who came to Penang supposedly to take himself away from a family disagreement.
The boy's name was changed to Ramlee as his grandmother was not able to pronounce Teuku Zakaria.
Later Ramlee added the‘P’of his father's Puteh (meaning 'white') in front of his name, and P.Ramlee became one of the earliest instances of a wildly successful ‘personal branding’ – short, rhyming and easy to remember. He had a talent for that and gave many ‘stage names’ or essentially ‘personal brands’ to many colleagues whom he helped raise in his line of work. Among them were actresses Roseyatimah (Rosnah) and Fadzilliyaton (Zaiton).
Much of his talents and successes, interestingly, appeared to be inborn or self-taught as his family was not rich and he did not have any formal courses or classes other than normal schooling. But he was known as a curious and self-motivated learner, voluntarily learning many things on his own from whoever would care to teach, including to play the piano and violin.
He had much knack and yearning for entertaining, and in those Pre-World War II days where there was no Indonesia or Malaysia – the region was still its single fluid pan-Malayic community except that it was ruled by either the British or Dutch – people, traders and entertainers crossed the Melaka Strait and surrounding seas like these were corridors and not barriers.
Thus it was that while P. Ramlee sang and performed with local bands, a Medan, Sumatra artiste troupe visited Penang for shows and he ended up singing on stage with lead star Kasma, who would later be a long-time friend and industry colleague Kasma Booty.
It is said to be one B. S. Rahjan, an Indian film director with Malay Film Productions of Jalan Ampas, Singapore who spotted P. Ramlee singing in 1948 in Butterworth and was impressed. As P. Ramlee left for Singapore, his father said, with a touch of reverse psychology, “If you leave the village with just two shirts and come back with still two shirts, don't come back”. It was clear that Nyak Puteh meant not material wealth when he added, “If you leave this village you must prove that you have gone out into the world. Come back with success.” P. Ramlee was to prove it every time he made a new film or won his awards at numerous international film festivals.
In that same year 1948 the slim young man acted in his first film ‘Chinta’ (Love), as a villain. But it was in the film ‘Bakti’ (Beneficence) that P. Ramlee got the break that he in fact almost missed. The heroine was none other than Kasma Booty, and an earlier star actor had had to back out. P. Ramlee was invited yet Kasma sincerely thought he was too thin for a hero. But his singing voice won him the part and the film went on to be a hit. P. Ramlee became a big star almost overnight. The rest was history.
P. Ramlee always had a “boleh” (can do) attitude long before the ‘Malaysia Boleh’ slogan was brought up by former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. This can-do spirit was basically how P. Ramlee established himself as a film director as well.
The studio mogul, Run Run Shaw, was looking for a director for his script ‘Pancha Delima’ but none of the studio’s usual directors thought it was workable. In near desperation, the studio approached P. Ramlee if he would give the script a try. He accepted and completed the film. During the inaugural screening where all the other directors were invited, Run Run Shaw stopped the film during mid-screening, got up and blasted the earlier directors for not taking up the challenge where P. Ramlee had succeeded commendably. As far as film directing went, the rest too was history.
Part of P. Ramlee's success in film making was his ability to portray very local and realistic situations with low budgets and yet spin it all into a story or convey a message that was humanistically universal, and transcended cultural boundaries or political correctness.
And that was why the Malaysian Chinese lady at the beginning of this article was laughing. There's a scene in the popular comedy ‘Ali Baba Bujang Lapok’ in which the hero's brother was beheaded by thieves. The hero doesn't want his brother buried without his head re-attached and calls a Chinese tukang to sew the head back on to the body. At first he refuses but as the hero adds more and more money, the man finally agrees, saying (in translation) “because of the money, I'll do it lah”.
"Haiya, such a simple truism but entertaining message about human nature; if the money is right anything can and will be done." The lady chuckles as she sips her drink along Jalan P. Ramlee.
Notes:
The P.Ramlee Memorial / Pustaka Peringatan P.Ramlee
is located in the former residence of P.Ramlee in Kuala Lumpur, where he lived with his wife Saloma and children until his death on 29 May 1973. The one storey bungalow was fortunately acquired by the Malaysian Government as a national heritage.
It houses nostalgic memorabilia of P.Ramlee's awards, clothes, musical equipment, documents, personal artifacts and photos. His old car, a Datsun Sunny 1200 (1971 model) number BAD 3608 is parked in the porch. The memorial is maintained by Arkib Negara Malaysia (Archives of Malaysia).
Address: Pustaka Peringatan P Ramlee No. 22 Jalan Dedap Taman P.Ramlee (formerly Taman Furlong) Setapak 53000 Kuala Lumpur MALAYSIA. Tel: 603-40231131
From Bulatan Pahang, take Jalan Pahang and pass the Police Station until there is a signboard to turn left and go straight in till another signboard of the place.
Visiting Hours: Tuesday to Sunday (10 am - 5.00 pm) Friday (10 am - 12.00 pm & 3.00 pm - 5.00 pm) Monday closed (except public and school holidays)
Admission is free. Do check out the books, souvenirs and CDs for sale.
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